New Life
by Kitot
Summary: The peace and quiet of Shin Makoku is soon to be shattered as Yuri discovers a strange and powerful person wandering around the other world with a supposedly extinct race. Takes places a few months after the last season of KKM
1. 1:1

**I claim no ownership of the Kyo Kara Maoh characters in any way, shape or form.**_  
_

**This is merely a fanfiction that I enjoyed writing. I hope you enjoy. The story is more OOC with the characters for KKM being mainly supportive most of the time.**

**Please read the review I posted as it gives more detail that I couldn't fit onto the summary page.  
**

oOo

_Nose hair guard is on again today..._  
I lifted my head a little before it lolled back down, my ears hearing the guard's footsteps getting closer. Meanwhile, Elly kept up the commentary, _jeez...get some trimmers on that for God's sake...  
Haha! You could plait those babies! _Shaun added to her disgusted tone, his joking attitude drifting in and out of my hearing.  
Small movement in the air and I felt someone sit next to me, a slight pressure on my arm as Galas spoke. _Calli, you having a bad day again?_  
"Yes..."  
_Don't worry about it. Just talk to us, we'll tell you whatever you wanna know hun. _Elly chirped gently.  
_Yeah, we can tell you about the flowers and the birds outside, the way they're moving around..._ Molly faltered slightly and then apologised, _I can't show you them though...I'm sorry Calli, I keep forgetting..._  
"It's ok Molly. I still have my imagination." A glimmer of a smile flickered across my features for a second before it was gone, but Galas caught it and chuckled.  
_That's my girl...I'm so proud of you...  
We're ALL proud of you, _Shaun added with a huff, _don't go hogging Calli all to yourself again Galas.  
Grub's up, and I'm afraid to say it smells as bad as it looks hun. Close your eyes..._ Elly warned me just as I heard the key grate in the padlock, light flooding into the dark cell.

"Sorry it isn't any better girl," The guard's husky comment was apologetic as I squeezed my eyes shut from the light. The door closed and I gratefully opened them again, focusing on the man crouching in front of me.

He wore the normal brown and grey uniform with a dome shaped helmet and shin guards. He removed his helmet and put a gloved hand through dirty blonde hair, blue eyes not quite managing to focus fully on my face.  
This was because, even though I could see him as if we were in broad daylight; there was very little light in the cell where I was. There were no windows and the door and walls were solid stone.  
He grinned, focusing suddenly on my eyes, "So there they are, still seems a little weird to see them glowing at you, even after this long." He pushed the tray towards me and then leant back while I picked at the food. "I know it's poor but you really need to eat." I saw him take a worrying look at my emaciated frame and ignored him. I got so many looks from the guards now that it didn't bother me anymore.  
I took a mouthful and made a face. "This tastes like crap."  
"Heh...true." He rooted around his pocket and brought out something wrapped in cloth. "Here, eat this." I took the parcel in shaky hands, my eyes lighting up when I saw what it was. "Beef jerky. It's a little hard but it should fill you up...and I'm not going until you've eaten all of it." He added, folding his arms in a threatening manner.  
"...nk you...Alon...so..."  
I watched his features soften and then turned my attention to tackling the tough meat. "I will get you out of here one day girl, I promise."

_That Alonso guy is nice..._ Elly's voice mused as I rested my head against the cold wall and closed my eyes. It had been exhausting eating all the jerky and now I needed to concentrate on keeping it down. I let my family talk amongst themselves, their voices drifting in and out around the cell.  
_He's not married...  
He's still a Big Shimeron guard!  
But he's cute, and he's nice to Calli...  
How long has he been groaning about getting her out though? _Galas, as he always was when Alonso came round, pissed off, _nearly once a week for the past, what? Five years now?  
Chill Gally, he means well...  
He shouldn't keep saying those things..._  
"It still...helps a little...some...sometimes..." I swallowed the nausea down and took deep breaths before continuing. "I know I might...never get out of here, but...it's nice to know...someone wants to try...and help...me..."  
_Calli..._  
"Need to...sleep..."  
_It's ok Calli, go to sleep now. We'll keep a watch out for you..._ a soft warmth touched my cheek, like a gentle kiss. I shifted my weight a little and felt the cold steel of the cuffs still wrapping round my ankles; a prisoner that hardly moved or spoke, but still treated like a notorious murderer.  
Movement either side told me that Galas and Molly were sitting with me, trying to keep me warm and keep me safe...even though they were nothing more than air.

_Calli...Calli wake up...  
Calli!  
You gotta wake up girl!_  
The urgent yells and gentle tugging on my clothes became more persistent. I blinked and looked round, wondering what was going on just as the door opened.  
"Aaghhh..." I protected my eyes with my arms as the light flooded in, a negative silhouette being imprinted on the insides of my eyelids. _The light...the light!_  
"Oh my..."  
"What have they done?"  
"We need a healer in here quickly! Hurry!" The voice snapped with authority just on the edges of my hearing. I hunched as far away from the light as I possibly could, feeling the cold metal bite harshly into my ankles. The voice fuzzed in and out; I was losing consciousness fast; the terror and the accumulation of sudden noise was making me black out, "You need to stay with me, please...try...st...me..."  
_Calli...you gotta listen to him...  
Calli_, Galas' voice broke through Elly's insistent plea and my hazy darkness, _its ok, rest...we'll make sure nothing happens to you..._

The soft jolting woke me up. I could smell straw underneath me; unlike the prison it was dry and warm, even though it itched a little. _We're in a cart of some kind, _Galas came to me gently.  
_These people are different. Their clothes and flags aren't Big Shimeran...  
We need to know where we're going. _Shaun muttered after Elly's musings. I closed my eyes from the sunlight that was coming through the wooden slats. My mind was still groggy with confusion and lack of food, and though my ankles felt lighter I still couldn't move.  
_Take it easy hun, we'll go and have a snoop round. _Elly murmured gently as I succumbed to sleep again.

When I woke up my family had figured out what had been happening. Apparently there had been a massive uprising between Big Shimeran and Small Shimeran. As word had gotten out a revolt had started within the prison.  
At the moment I was in the clutches of Francia's guards, being taken back to their Kingdom. My fear started climbing again, _don't worry, we're right here. _Galas was by my side immediately.  
_I need to get out of here!  
Calli you're too ill to move anywhere-oi! _Shaun hissed as I managed to get myself up onto my knees, panting with effort. _Behave will you? We're out of the prisons now-  
But...what happens...if they put...me...in another? _I gasped. When no one replied I knew they'd thought of the same thing. No one knew whether I was an insane criminal or just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Galas was the first to speak after a while. _If you're going to escape, we need to wait until it gets dark. I'm assuming they'll stop for a break then instead of travelling through the night. _I nodded and closed my eyes as a small breeze flowed over my body. _So get some rest until then ok? And try and eat whatever they give you. You'll need all your strength._

I moved as quickly as I could through the darkened streets. Galas had been adamant I waited until the early hours of the morning when people would have closed up and gone to sleep; the lights of the town would have long gone cold. It would also help me move around as I wasn't the quickest person at the minute.  
_No more teleportation. _Molly, who was normally so gentle, hissed at me. I agreed; the little stunt to get me away from the guards without them knowing had cost me dearly.  
_And it nearly gave us a heart attack! _Galas's comment made me smile a little. _I'm glad you find that so funny...  
Ok, remember what we have to do when in a strange place? _I nodded to Shaun's comment.

**Map out the area**

**Find shelter**

**Change your appearance**

**Get food**

**And watch for guards every step of the way**

_The guards we can ignore for now, just find somewhere that will be safe during the day as well as the night for now.  
Roger. _I muttered to Elly, my eyes scanning the surroundings and resting on one building in particular. _What about that?_  
We all inspected the church from the shadows. _Hmmm...looks safe enough...  
No one's wandering the grounds either. _Elly and Molly grinned, _go for it hun. But be careful..._

The shadows got a little lighter as I moved from them and towards the church grounds, moving as close to the ground as I could without falling over. Thankfully there was a small opening at one of the sides; a couple of blocks had eroded enough for me to slip through. _I would have never made that if I'd been eating normally...  
Thank the Gods for small mercies then. _Galas muttered, clearly not amused.I crept stealthily through the pews and looked up, wanting to get as high as possible. The beams provided enough cover for me and I could move freely along them to where there was another small opening in the roof, providing me with air and a good view of the town.  
_Where are we?  
We'll find out tomorrow, get some rest for now hun.  
We'll make sure nothing disturbs you. _I snuggled up more into the blankets I'd nicked from one of the church's small closets. A small part of me felt guilty over the fact which made Shaun snigger even more, _jeez girl, you can't be guilty of every little thing.  
Calli's right though, we promised to give up picking pockets and thieving. _Molly frowned. _We even got some of the gang to fly straight.  
We'll give them back afterwards. _Galas said. _Get some sleep ok?_

oOo

Even if the Priest realised small items such as blankets and pieces of food were going amiss suddenly, he never said a word, though he did look to the ceiling a good many times. I moved out of his line of sight and sighed. _I'd better stay quiet while Morning Prayer is going on...  
Least you can watch it now. _With Galas's help I'd managed to find a sharp pair of scissors and cut away the filthy matted layers of hair that had clung to me. They advised me to cut as close as possible to my scalp; _who knows what weird things are crawling around in there, and besides, hair grows back._ One night, after I'd cleaned the scissors and put them back, a small bottle of shampoo had been left on the Priest's altar, along with a bowl of stew. It was an extremely kind gesture.

After the prayers had been said I moved over the beams and into the sunlight. "Everything looks so alive..."  
_Francia seems to be a pretty fresh place. _Shaun agreed.  
_So what are we doing today?_  
I shrugged at Galas's comment. _Why don't we go and have a wander through town?  
We need to find another place to hide out Mol, _Elly said, _that Priest is getting a little too close...  
I agree.  
Same here._  
I could feel her pouting at the others, _but he's been really nice...  
He has, but I don't want to start causing him problems. It's not up to him to look out for me. I have to do that by myself. _I wrapped a black cloth around my head and neck, pulling on another, lighter cloak over my ragged form.  
Galas snorted. _What's all this 'I' business?  
Hehehe..._Molly giggled as I rolled my eyes and disappeared.

_So what _do_ I do now? _I wandered through the streets, making sure I didn't bump into people or that people didn't bump into me. Automatically my hand moved into someone's pocket, pulling out a money purse and I sighed. _Why am I doing this?  
Because that's what we do...or rather, did._ I put the purse on the stall next to the man and wandered off again. _We were in the 'business' for more than eight years. Some habits are hard to stop._  
'_The business' hahaa! _Shaun laughed; _you make it sound like we were in the Mafia or something Galas man!  
Shut up!  
Make me hahaha!_  
I left them arguing and concentrated. Something had been bugging me while I'd been outside...something...someone was watching me. My family were instantly alert.  
_I can't see anyone that's paying much attention..._Molly murmured.  
_Me neither...wait...over there. _My eyes flickered over to where a man was wandering round. He looked harmless enough; his head was covered in a cloth like mine and blue eyes snapped round happily...and then he looked my way. _That's the guy, he's been watching us.  
He doesn't look like a guard. _He was wearing simple clothing and I couldn't see any type of weapon...I moved back towards the church all the same though...and hissed as someone moved out of the undergrowth.

_Not someone..._a massive creature stood in the dappled sunlight, silver eyes warm. The thing looked like an elk on Earth but with a black pelt and silver horns and hooves. I blinked as it pawed the ground and shook its impressive head before moving over to me. My feet seemed frozen on the spot; I couldn't move...it brushed at my ragged clothing and then lifted its head, taking a gentle grip on my tunic to pull me towards it.  
"Wait...wait a minute..."  
_I think it wants you to follow it._  
I sighed and looked round. No one was in the grounds of the church; it was just us. _What should I do?  
I think we should go...and fast hun. People are coming._  
The elk lay down and I made a decision. With as much stamina as I could muster I got onto its back and then held on as it stood up, its head looking back and forth before moving back into the undergrowth.


	2. 2:2

oOo

"Lady Leila," A man with black hair scrapped back bowed as the horse drew up by the Ranch, a young woman with short red-brown hair and grey eyes jumping down. She nodded to him and smiled, taking his hand, "you didn't need to come out all this way..."  
"I wanted to Mikale, and please don't worry, your whereabouts are still secret."  
"That isn't our main worry my Lady."  
"I know but it is best it remains this way while she is with you."  
"Yes..."  
She raised an eyebrow while Mikale looked decidedly sheepish. "Erm, well, you see..."  
"She's run off again hasn't she?"  
"Yes." He licked his lips, dark green eyes looking into the forest that bordered the small clearing. Leila followed his gaze before closing her eyes, "I know you have your guards patrolling. You always do."  
"It makes no difference. There's no telling when she'll try and run away; my men keep watch all day and night but they still never manage to find her." He sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair.  
"She too much of a handful Mikale?"  
"No, not at all!" He held his hands up and shook them, lowering them again as he glanced back into the forest, "I just wish..."  
"We're all waiting patiently for when she will open up to us. She has been through so much pain and terror though; it is a wonder she's managed to last this long alive."  
"I'm just glad she trusts the elk." He put a hand through his hair. "Have you told the Maou anything yet?"  
"Not yet." She shook her head, "Antoine doesn't want any harm to come to her either, even though I'm sure King Yuri would never do anything to hurt her. We want to make sure she feels safe here before doing anything."  
"He is good and kind, as you are too Lady Leila. Please," he extended his hand towards the Ranch, "come and rest with us for a while. Though she runs off, she always tends to come back before the sun sets."  
"After five years being inside that prison it's only natural she wishes to have some freedom."

The sounds of the forest were comforting; various bird calls, the chattering of smaller animals, even the deep, almost primitive sounds of the tree I was resting in, soothed my nerves. I didn't get why I could understand everything that was going on; the others had tried to explain at length but my thoughts and nerves were still completely unravelled...  
_Just try and enjoy it Calli,_ I opened one eye to see a translucent figure leaning against a branch beside me, _this is freedom. Proper, real freedom!  
Freedom! Freedom! _Another voice chanted, this one coming from above me though the actual voice itself vibrated inside my head, _This is so cool! Being outside, no walls, no chains...  
No weird guards with excess nose hair... _I closed my eye again and grinned at Elly's dry comment.  
It was hard to describe the joy I was feeling at this point; to still have my family around me, as much as I couldn't see or touch them properly, was more than I could have ever asked for.

I had asked them countless times, sometimes when I was half insane with hunger and weakness and lack of sleep, why they were still here, why they were still with me...I'd seen them die before my eyes...by rights they should have moved on...  
Their answers had always been the same; _we are a family, we look out for one another...  
You've always looked out for us...  
You'd never leave us behind, so we'll never leave you...  
As a family, we will always be together. Through life and through death...always..._

I was glad they were with me through all of this as well. If I had been on my own, I would have succumbed to death a long time ago.

Unfortunately, the four voices in my head made sure I didn't end my life in darkness and misery. I couldn't even have the privacy of my own head to myself anymore..._hey hey, what's with the dark thoughts? _Shaun snorted, dropping into my mind like a pile of earth from the sky, _you're outside, defying orders, with all this nature, and you still have time to think about sad things?_  
"Yep."  
Galas sighed beside me and the leaves moved in the breeze, _what are we going to do now anyway? We're still in this weird land.  
At least we found Uncle Mikale, _Molly chirped, _that's gotta count for something right?  
What can he do though?  
No idea Ell, we were just told to find him once we got here.  
So...we just wait until Calli talks to him right? _I opened my eyes to see glowing brown ones staring at me.  
"And what do I say? 'I got flushed through a water tube that led into a strange new world. My family died before my eyes and I got chained to a prison wall for five years...oh yeah, and even though my family is dead, they're still annoying me from beyond the grave.' Would you believe that?"  
_Erm..._  
"Exactly." I yawned. The sun was starting to set and though I wanted to stay out for as long as I could, the thought of being alone in the dark frightened me.  
_You wouldn't be alone completely. _The brown eyes seemed to smile as Shaun grinned. A pair of glowing blue eyes as well as two pairs of green ones joined them, all of them looking down at me.  
"Looks like I'll never be alone again."  
_We could always disappear you know..._  
"Don't joke around Galas." I snapped, sitting up and stretching. His gentle chuckling broke up the sudden chilling fear his remark had brought. The mutterings and disgruntled tuts from the others made me smile as well. "Ok, let's head back."

_They're following you again. _Molly commented as I jogged back. I turned my head slightly to see three darker shapes moving beside me in the shadows.  
Mikale said they were fwenkits; panther-type creatures that often showed up around death and times of trouble. Because of this they were often known as omens of Death or the 'Grim', and got quite a bad reputation. They were often driven out of their burrows and the young kits caught and killed – the adults' armour-like scaled fur and their homicidal nature made them virtually indestructible – but I found their presence soothing.  
_Soothing? Girl, you on something? They are evil killers! _Elly yelled at me. The surface of the pool I was passing rippled with her agitation, _throw something at them!_  
"Leave them be Elly. They're fine and they don't come close enough to the elk as to disturb them. I think they're just looking out for me."

L_ooks like someone else is looking out for you too. _I inwardly groaned seeing the small troop of horses standing outside the Ranch. A couple nickered a welcome, the guards looking up to see me. "Darken-sama, it's good to see you again."  
"Yeah...hey again." I nodded hesitantly. Guards still made me rather nervous. They seemed to understand this as well and stayed where they were as the door to the Ranch opened and I got enveloped in a cloud of frills and gentle perfume.  
"Caaaaalliiiii!"  
"Molly..."  
"You ran away agaaaain! I was so worried! What would I do if something happened? We'd be thrown in jail because Mikale didn't do his job properly!"  
"Hey!" Mikale looked at the curly red haired woman in astonishment, backing off when she suddenly rounded on him.  
"You're supposed to know EVERY single movement your children make EVERY single second of the DAY!"  
"Molly, please...calm down ok? She's back, she's ok..."  
"Ok? She could have fallen down and hurt herself, or broken her leg, or sprained her arm, or, or..."  
I grinned, feeling rather embarrassed at all the attention I was getting. When I had been on Earth my foster family never paid me any attention.  
"Callista." I looked round to see Leila walking up to me. "We were about to send the search party's out to look for you."  
"You didn't need to do that." I rubbed the back of my head. Everyone was genuinely worried about me..._ why wouldn't they be? You're special Calli and you've been through a lot...  
I'm special..._I blinked, _is that because they're looking out for me?  
I didn't mean it like that-  
Shaun, shut up and stop filling her head with stupid ideas, _Galas interrupted, _they just want to help you Calli, give them a chance..._  
"Callista?"  
"..." I looked up to see them all staring at me and smiled sheepishly, "sorry, must have zoned out for a bit there. So, how have you been Lady Leila?"  
"I was going to ask you the same question." She grinned at me, following us into the Ranch, "Tell me what you've been up to ok?"

oOo

A few months passed. Leila came to see me every so often and I found myself growing quite attached to her. On some of her visits we would wander through the forests and I'd show her a few of the hideouts I'd found, as well as a lot of the elk herds that hid within the trees.  
"They were a dying breed. I can't believe there are so many here."  
"Mikale thinks it's the raw majutsu that built up around the many shrines buried here." I sat on a thick tree root watching the creatures as they milled around on the slopes before us. The females were a light purple colour that darkened down their limbs, the males were an extreme dark purple with matt silver antlers. "They really are beautiful creatures..."  
She told me that soon they would have to tell the Maou about me and my strange maryoku, "There is no one, with the exception of the Maou, that has the type of power that you have Calli."  
"But what if he locks me away again?" I swallowed, "What if I'm not allowed to be outside or do anything for myself anymore?"  
"I promise you, I will look out for you." She grasped my hands and looked at me. "Whatever happens, even if it means going against King Yuri's wishes, I will make sure nothing happens to you."  
"That puts you and his Majesty at risk Leila, I don't want that."  
"Don't worry about us," she grinned and winked, "We'll be fine."  
"What about my...about Mikale and Molly, and Symon? They've been living here for so long without anyone bothering them..."  
"They will be fine."

oOo

So here I was, awaiting the most powerful person on the planet and completely dreading what was going to happen.  
"It'll be fine Calli." Symon watched me as I looked at myself in the mirror. A lot had changed; thankfully I was nowhere near as thin as when the guards had found me in the prison and after having my hair all shaved off for hygiene reasons, it had grown back to its normal length, but I did have a long scar that cut diagonally through and finished at the bottom right hand corner of my right eye.

Gone was the cheeky good nature of the girl I used to be. Now there was nothing but hidden fear and suspicion in my dark eyes.

"What if something happens?"  
"We'll all be right here." He pulled me away from the mirror and towards the door, "You look fine Calli, though you know Mother would prefer you to wear a dress."  
I gave him a sour look. "I don't do dresses." Molly had almost burst a gut when I'd denied wearing anything remotely frilly; the best she could get me in were dark leggings, a white off-the-shoulder shirt and a sleeveless pirate-style long waist coat which flared out at my hips and ended by my thighs. The whole thing was finished off with knee-high boots and long fingerless leather gloves. I felt a bit like a pirate wench but liked the whole ensemble. "So, what's he like? Do you know?"  
"From what I've heard he seems like a nice guy." Symon re-braided his hair as we walked, making it swing back behind him, the icy blue eyes he'd inherited from Molly looking at me. "He's trying really hard to bring humans and Mazoku together after the centuries of hatred."  
"You think he'll be able to do it?"  
"So far he's managed to get quite a few of the human kingdoms behind him, including ours."  
"That's true." I murmured, remembering what Leila and her husband had said. Something was still churning in the back of my mind. "The Ranch though-"  
"Father knows this is for the best." He grinned, "We've been living in near solitude for centuries. This wasn't how our ancestors would have wanted it, and we all know that. Don't let it affect you."  
I took a deep breath, "Well, can't back out now anyway."  
"That's the spirit." Symon grinned as we heard voices.

"_...can't have this."_  
"_But Gwendal..."_  
"He is right Your Majesty; the amount of maryoku this girl has, proper surveillance and security has to be in place."  
"Gunter!"  
"Please she isn't a danger to his Majesty," Leila's voice pleaded my case, "King Yuri please, please don't place her under lock and key again. She has already been through so much."  
Symon's smile faded and he placed a warning hand on my arm, sensing my sudden urge to flee. _Why is this happening again?_

A tall man dressed in green turned to Leila. "When your guards found her they saw the amount of power she had. We all did. She put the whole prison at risk." I winced at what he said. Even though I'd blacked out it seemed that my power hadn't. A decent part of the Big Shimeran underground prison had collapsed, injuring quite a few people. A lot would have died if the Maou hadn't released his own energy and prevented the accident from becoming fatal.  
"She was frightened, she wasn't thinking straight. She'd been locked in there for five years...what would you have done if you had been in that situation?" She retorted, "How many of you could say that you would have acted differently?"  
"We need to see just how high her maryoku level is-"  
"No tests!" They turned to see Mikale and even in my panic mode I could see he was visibly shaking with anger, "No one is going to lay a finger on her."  
"It is the only way we can know for sure-"A black haired boy with glasses put his hands up and stopped when Mikale advanced on him, another boy blocking his path.

This boy felt different to the others. He was young but I could feel his power flowing round him. It felt like mine; erratic and slightly dangerous, but there was also a softness that moved in between the strands, calming them down and making them relax.  
"No!" I jumped at Mikale's outburst and Symon's hand tightened. "She was brought into my family. It is my duty to look after her and protect her just like any father would!"  
"If one of our enemies were to find out about her, they would use her to their advantage and against his Majesty. We cannot take that risk." Gwendal reiterated, "There is no other-"  
"Calli!" They all turned as Leila noticed me. In that second, Symon's hold loosened enough to allow me to move away from him...and disappear.

oOo

**(I'm constantly re-doing and re-tweaking this story so pls bear with me with the 3rd post)**


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